1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to warp knitting machines having a weft thread magazine comprising a pair of separated weft thread forwarding means. These forwarding means have, in the drive direction, a plurality of equidistantly spaced holding means for transversely placed weft threads. Machines of this type may include weft threads presentation means activated by a control arrangement for separating the first weft thread from the others following and presenting the first thread in the vicinity of the needles.
2. Discussion of the Relevant Art
In a known warp knitting machine of this type (Mayer warp knitting automatic or Raschel machine with weft thread magazine KS2MSU or RS4MSU) the forwarding means are driven with a normal speed, that is, at a rate such that one weft thread is presented to the needles at each needle cycle. The weft thread presenting means are activated at each needle cycle to engage and present a weft thread to the needles. When the holders of the forwarding means carry weft threads, each is knotted into each stitch row. The weft threads are layed into the forwarding means by thread guides on a reciprocating carrier which moves back and forth between the forwarding means. Within this group of thread guides different weft threads may be employed or, equally, certain positions may be left unused. The pattern repeat is however limited to the number of thread guides.
It is already known (German patent application OLS No. 2401050) that the pattern repeat can be increased by altering the weft threads fed to the thread guides. In this mode, new weft threads are knotted onto old weft threads. In accordance with an older suggestion (German application No. P3040393) at least two thread guide groups may be provided to the carrier which can be activated or de-activated by choice.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved warp knitting machine with a weft thread magazine of the above described type. Wherein the pattern repeat in all known forms can be readily increased.